Due to erroneous information provided by a source, an article in Friday’s Daily should have called a proposed restaurant Wild Dogz.
Northwestern students hungry for more downtown restaurants will be rewarded with four new eateries later this year.
Al’s Italian Beef, Panino’s Cafe and Bar, Wow Dogz and Froots plan to move into the downtown area within the next few months, citing the student population as an appetizing market.
Sandwich joint Al’s Italian Beef plans to open at 622 Davis St. in late March or early April. There are about 20 Al’s Italian Beef stores operating in the Chicago area, and owners hope to open 24 more by the end of the year.
“We’re excited to bring our concept to Evanston,” said Eileen Holly, vice president of corporate operations and development for Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc., which owns Al’s Italian Beef. “We love the area with the campus right there, and it just seems like a very, very good location.”
The restaurant will offer eat-in, takeout and catering services.
“Our menu profile is very attractive to a college student,” Holly said.
SESP freshman Mara Botman said she thinks the opening of the four new restaurants is beneficial for the city.
“There’s always room for low-cost, healthy food,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with competition.”
Wow Dogz will open in either May or June at 1625 Chicago Ave. The store will feature a dining room with 25 to 30 seats, but co-owner Billy Douvikas said he expects most of their business to come from takeout and delivery orders.
“There’s an empty void for hot dog places in Evanston, and we’re looking to fill that void,” he said.
Douvikas chose the location because of its proximity to campus and local businesses.
“Students are great customers,” he said. “I’m 25 years old and I know what we eat. It’s good food, it’s affordable and it should do well.”
Panino’s Cafe and Bar is planning to relocate its restaurant from 1704 Central St. to 1968 Dempster St.
“We chose that space because we feel it’s up-and-coming and that the parking situation is key,” store co-owner Lenny Rago said.
“Right now, we have plenty of problems with parking in our Central Street store and that should alleviate the parking problem … Plus, we feel it’s a very high traffic area,” he said.
Rago said he plans to open the new store some time in June and hopes it will pique the the interest of students at NU and Evanston Township High School.
Froots, a smoothie shop with stores around the country, plans to open in the new development complex at 900 Chicago Ave.
“The store is unique because of the products it offers,” said franchisee Roy Toribio. “The good thing about this concept is the variety of things we have on the menu. It’s not just one or two types; you’ll actually have a lot of choices.”
Toribio chose the Chicago Avenue location in Evanston because of the city’s unique dining environment. They plan to open some time in April, after completing negotiations with the city.
“The student population is a big population and is definitely one of the targets that I have,” he said. “Once they taste our product, I believe students will come back and have some more.”
Reach Matt Presser at [email protected].
